Procedural Plundering: Heat Signature Trailer

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You can learn a lot about someone from the games they make, I’m told. Tom Francis’s first game, Gunpoint, was about breaking into places, punching people out, bodging their wiring, stealing stuff, then leaving through a window. But look, his second game was a free game about gaily swinging on a grappling hook. That made the score 1-1 in Evil vs. Lovely. To settle the tie, today he released a new video showing a prototype for his third game, Heat Signature. It’s about, ah, sneaking up on spaceships, boarding them, sneaking around, punching men out, then stealing their stuff. Oh Tom.

It’s all very much an early prototype still, but the core ideas seem settled. You play a naughty person who roams around space boarding procedural ships to rob them or assassinate people. Stealth is key, as you’ll want to go slow with your little ship to stop its heat signature (aha!) getting it spotted, lest guns blow you to bits, and you’ll want to be sneaky aboard ships, in case they toss you out the airlock and you need to remote-pilot your ship to collect you before your eyes burst. You could also steal their ship. Or shoot them. Or hack them (electronics, not flesh). Options!

It’s hardly the prettiest of games, which is why he’s looking for for an artist and a composer to come in and help make things look and sound nicer. It’s a fair way out from release, obviously.

But it’s a different thing, because the title implies some sci-fieness (ahem).
P.S. I wouldn’t say such a ridiculous thing! I saw a very menacing heyghoge once, pretty sure he tried to attack me because he was protecting his coin stash.

Good luck! I would’ve applied, but looking at all the animation needed I didn’t think I’d be suitable for the job. I did send him a good mock up he hopefully sees that shows him a way of doing different segmented sprites for the playable character so there can be more variety without remaking each sprite.